Chrony F1 Vs magnetospeed, looking for advice

Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice to buy a chronograph for my boolits. I was testing a friend's magnetospeed, but in my 1909 Mauser it seems I couldn't make it fit well, and he couldn't measure me speed. I had little time, and I had never used one. So the failure is probably due to my inexperience.
Until that time I had always used the chrony F1, both for a handgun and for a rifle, although I had some problems on days when the sun does not shine.
I would like to know your experience, since I have to decide shortly.
Thank you
PS: I have also used labradar, but I think it is very expensive.

I have a Chrony F1 which has been shot once, but wasn’t fatal. And a Caldwell that is wired to phone or hooks up to I pad, great for record of shot string, and developing different loads. Thought about a Magnetospeed and if i was to go back to the beginning it would be my first choice. Of the two I have I will still grab the original F1 because its easy to operate and has already been shot and still works fine. My old eyes can still read it at 10’.

I have the shooting chrony and magnetospeed. Both are fine, mag is easy to set up if the adapters fit your gun. Little problem getting cast to register, set-up. Doesn't work for auto pistol but I never checked them anyway. At 50, accuracy was still good with blade attached. I don't have the iphone adapter, just take the mSD card out at home.

Mag works at an indoor range under fluorescent lighting.

Others will give you troubles.


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The Chrony brand ones work fine. I used an Alpha Chrony for years and the only issues were changes in lighting when outdoors. Not sure I like the Magnetospeed. The only use I seem to see for it is if you want to use it at an indoor range that wont let you set up your tabletop/tripod chrono downrange.

I actually just recently retired my Alpha Chrony and replaced it with a Caldwell G2. The main reason was so that I could use the Caldwell app on my phone and record my strings during a session without having to write it all down by hand. You can use the app to export each string into an Excel file too so its easy to just print out the page and toss it into the log book. As a plus the G2 has built in lights for the screens. The only reading errors I have had with it so far was using a full-auto nerf gun just for giggles to see what it would read.

Another one to look at is the Competition Electronics Chronograph. They are a good unit and also have the bluetooth ability if thats something that interests you.

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Originally Posted by popper

I have the shooting chrony and magnetospeed. Both are fine, mag is easy to set up if the adapters fit your gun. Little problem getting cast to register, set-up. Doesn't work for auto pistol but I never checked them anyway. At 50, accuracy was still good with blade attached. I don't have the iphone adapter, just take the mSD card out at home.

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Is it difficult to use with cast boolits?

I have Oehler chronographs since '74. I've also had numerous shooters want to align their "Chrony's and other makes with the Oehlers (particularly the M43) to see if theirs is reading right. They always assume the Oehler is always correct (they are) and, apparently, want to see if their other brand is.

I also have a Magnetospeed (the simple one) which I keep in my shooting box which I most often have with me, especially on my travels away from home. I have used it on numerous different guns over the last couple years and it does work (when it can be attached to the firearms correctly). The "menu" to scroll through is a bit confusing and intimidating at first but once you get used to it it's not that difficult. It is important for consistent readings to also set the "sensitivity" correctly, especially with smaller calibers and cast bullets. Since it's not my primary chronograph I just write each shot data down on a piece of paper as fired then at the end of the test string write down the ES, SD and Average.

A couple years ago I did a direst comparison between the Magnetospeed and a friends new Chrony (the fancy one). The test Rifle was a Ruger American 223. The Chrony gave readings a few fps slower as it should have since the magnetospeed gives essentially muzzle velocity and the Chrony reads at 10.5 feet (start screen at 10 feet). The Chrony also, due to it's short screen spacing gave a larger ES/SD.

So far my experience (for cast - PB or GC) save your money. Seems to work OK for jacketed. Shot some from the carbine BO this morning,
150 Gold Dot 1836 avg ~50 SD.
145 GC AC 1624 avg 0 SD only one shot recorded out of 6
145 GC HT 2009,1472 & 1155 while playing with sensitivity, changing batteries, etc. Shots not recorded, not crossing second sensor, bad zero crossing.
Previously shot 308W @ 1800 something, cast load that runs 2400 with a real chrony.
Uses 2 long super magnets on the blade with 2 commercial megnetorestrictive sensors spaced apart. Neat little computer box with SD card. Sensors out of spec, A/D error, alignment error? who knows. Cast lead is hard to detect, GC doesn't seem to help (hornady).
Just my unit? who knows.